Pocket protector



- Sept. 1; 1931. L. v. JOHNSON 1 821,831

POCKET PROTECTOR Filed May 2, 1931 INVENTOR Lou zlg T Jhnson my F ATTORNEYS;

Patented Sept. 1, 1931 UNETED STATES LOUIS V. JOHNSON, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK POCKET Pno-rno'r'o-n Application filed May 2, 1931. Serial No. 534,968.

causes the pocket to have the usual appearance of pockets now in common use but which presents means for covering and protecting an article'sothe article'cannot be removed without removing part of the pocket structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pocket divided permanently into two compartments with a protecting flap in one compartment, one overlapping the other and forming an outside lapel so that when the lapel is released, the hand inserted, it will direct the hand into one compartment while preserving the other compartment against entry.

In the accompanying drawings,

' Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a.

figure with garments thereon includingtrousers formed with a pocket disclosing an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged rear View of the pocket and surrounding parts shown in Fig ure 1, part of the pocket being broken away for illustrating certain detailed features.

Figure 3 is a rear View similar to Figure 2 but showing the protection flap in an outer position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through Figure 1 on line l4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a pair of trousers, and 2 the pocket as a whole. It will be understood that the pocket could'be mounted on or fitted in any desired garment, but for the purposes of illustration, it has been shown as a hip pocket on apair of trousers. The usual practice is to make a pocket in a de sired manner and to provide a flap and but- 1 ton for closing the same. In the present instance, aflap 3 is provided and also a button 4 whereby the appearance will be generally that ofrthe ordinary pocket now in use. However, as illustrated-in the drawings, the pocket or casing 5 is divided by partition 6 whereby there is presented chambers 7 and 8. A protecting flap 9 consists preferably in two plies of cloth similar to the cloth of which the trousers 1 are made, and is held in place bya line of stitching 10 whereby the flap may extend from the upper edge of the pocket to substantially the bottom thereof while the integral extension 11 forms a cover for the opening of the chamber 7 and merges into the outside flap 3. In the average pocket heretofore made, it was necessary to unbut ton the'fiap before access could be had to the pocket and in the present instance,if an unauthorizedperson attempts to put his or her hand into the pocket 2, the usual procedure would be to unbutton flap 3 and then follow the flap along until the fingers passed into "-1 the pocket, v which in the. present instance would be into "chamber 7. In this way, the unauthorized person would force his hand into the pocket in the usual way but would find nothing of value because the article 12 to be protected is in compartment 8 and is covered by flap 9 which extends substantially to the bottom of the compartment. This arrangement of covering member 9 prevents anyone from passing the hand through opene ing13 and then grasping the article 12. As. the protecting member .9 extends from top to bottom and from one side to the other of the compartment 8, it will be necessary for a person to pull out the flap 9 until the parts are substantially in the position shown in Figure 3 before access can be had to the article 12. It will thus be seen that the average thief would force his hand through the opening 14, but if through any accident or reason whatever, he should force his hand to the opening 18, access to the article 12 cannot be secured until the protecting member 9 is removed. To do this would undoubtedly notify the person wearing thegarment 1 and proper action would be taken to-prevent the theft. It will thus be seen that the improved construction not only protects the article 12, but has a covering member which is in a certain sense a telltale by directing a thiefs hand into a compartment other than the one containing the articles sought.

I claim:

1. A pocket protector comprising a sheet substantially coextensive With the interior of the pocket, said interior being divided into two compartments each having an en trance opening, said sheet extending through one of said openings and across the other opening and then downwardly over the outside of the pocket presenting a flap, and means for permanently connecting said sheet near its upper end to the upper end of said pocket.

2. A safety pocket including a pocket structure having a pair of parallel substan tially coextensive compartments, each compartment having an opening at the top, means for securing the pocket structure to a garment, a sheet having a port-ion looped over the outer part of the pocket structure at one end of said openings so that a portion thereof will overhangthe garment to form a flap externally of the pocket structure, and a loop portion extending into the pocket not covered by said sheet, said loop portion extending to a point near the bottom of the last mentioned compartment to present a protecting sheet substantially coextensive with the interior of the compartment, said sheet being adapted to cover the article carried in said last mentioned compartment.

Signed at 390 Broadway, Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York this 29th day of April 1931.

LOUIS V. JOHNSON. 

